Blocks & Constructs = True Story

What does Constructivist Theory look like in practice? 

Well, I'll tell you a little story of what happened just before bedtime last night in our house.

Right before we read stories, I practice a little number sense with my girls.  I asked my four year old, "If I have three blocks, you have three blocks and kid #2 has 3 blocks, how many blocks do we all have?"

She took her blocks and made three seperate piles of three, assigning a color to each set. (This was all her doing.)  She answered nine.

Then, she did something that surprised me. She configured them into a square. (Luckily, I had my phone nearby.)  We talked about how three and three and three (in rows like addition) make 9 and how 3 by 3 is nine.

I told her 9 is a square number.  She just proved it.

So I went with this and asked her, "If I have 4 blocks, you have 4 blocks, kid #2 has 4 blocks and Daddy has four blocks, how many would we have all together?"

So, back to work. She figured out 16, and built the square with no prompting. She declared 16 a square number as well.

I was so proud I could barely stand it, and then she took it even further. With no blocks and no prompting. She shouted, 4 is a square number!

"No way. I said. Show me."

And she did. She built her square of 2x2.

And then she went on to build what she declared rectangle numbers. I'd say she's on to something with rectangle numbers.

Since Kid #2 fell asleep early last night and missed all the fun, I'll have my four year old share her discovery before bed tonight.

Michael Josefowicz @toughloveforx synthesized this conclusion at the end of a Twitter conversation.

"Authentic Connections Inspire instead of Expect."

Plays for Sudan

Many fond memories still remain from my time in the classroom.  I did not walk into a rose garden every day, but I did remember to smell the roses.

My seventh year teaching, I taught an experimental 3rd, 4th and 5th grade gifted and talented classroom in a Title 1 School. We had so much fun in that class, and I learned how to differentiate instruction in a powerful way.  One of the shared reading resources I used was Time for Kids.  This particular issue had an article about Sudan and the genocide occurring in Darfur.  It talked about the Janjaweed (Devils on Horseback) as the people called them.  It was a pretty heavy article and I wonder if I would have chosen to use it now that I'm a mother...  I'm glad I did, though, because a beautiful thing happened.

I remember who it started with and he said, "We have to do something." Well, okay, I can't argue with that. What can we do? We started a brainstrorm on the board and settled on three great ideas: write and perform plays for the public, have an art gallery and write letters to the president.  I had no idea this was coming and certainly didn't have it in my plan book.

And so this fluid teachable moment began to flow.  Kids formed small groups and composed plays.  The plays had nothing to do with Sudan.  I have a playbill somewhere. Their imaginations came alive. There was a play in a jungle, one with Zombie Hippies, and one with a president turning into a chicken I think.  They were all over the place but everyone was involved. Everyone had a part. We put together a Powerpoint to go over with the crowd why we were doing this. Each scene's set changed using pictures placed in a Powerpoint presentation projected behind the actors.

They also made artwork we hung on gymnasium mats and stood up to display.  I'm not sure anyone left that play without purchasing an item or two.  I wasn't sure what to expect for attendance, but we had a great turnout at our evening performance.  I invited friends, including the man who is now my husband.  He gave them a $20 at the door and told them to keep the change. (The suggested donation was $2.00.)  I still remember them telling me about it. My students invited their immediate and extended family.

Each group also wrote letters to the president.  I know I suggested writing to the First Lady (Laura Bush) at the time. Experience in the classroom told me that they were more likely to get a response from a First Lady than the president. Our letters told them about what we were doing and why.  We invited them to the play, but I think they were busy.

Everything was a success.  We had a goal of raising $300 and in the end raised just over that amount.  We sent it to whatever group was mentioned in the article who was trying to help.  As a friend of mine who came to see the play said, "The best part is the element of service they are learning from this." I totally agree and I can't claim responsibility.  It was all them. I just went with it.

The scripted nature of instruction happening in many schools right now would not allow this kind of learning. I'm sure I assessed it all somehow.  We probably made a rubric together to score the plays and letters. I don't remember.  I just remember the learning.